Sangay congrats Japan PM-elect

Dharamsala, Dec 17 (IANS) The Tibetan government-in-exile Monday congratulated Liberal Democratic Party leader Shinzo Abe on winning the parliamentary polls in Japan and hoped his government would continue support to Tibetans.

"On behalf of the Tibetan people, I would like to congratulate Shinzo Abe on winning the elections and wish him all the best as the next prime minister of Japan," Lobsang Sangay, the democratically elected leader of the Tibetan people, said in a statement.

Thanking the people and government of Japan for their long-standing support for democracy and non-violent struggle of the Tibetan people, he said: "I look forward to your continued support for the issue of Tibet."

A Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) spokesperson told IANS that Sangay called on Abe during his visit to Japan in April this year.

"In his meetings with Sangay, Abe said the Tibet issue was one of those rare issues which enjoyed multi-party support in Japan," the spokesperson said.

Some 140,000 Tibetans live in exile around the world, over 100,000 of them in India.